Toms River man who eluded Howell Police arrested a short time later

A Toms River man who led police on a wild goose chase after fleeing a traffic stop in Howell Tuesday is charged with eluding and hindering apprehension.

Howell Police sayJohn McKenna, 43, was doing 70-mph on the Route 9 shoulder in a 2008 Dodge Avenger before he was pulled over around 12:45 pm.

He then took off as a patrolman approached his car.

The chase reached Lakewood where McKenna turned west onto County Line Road.

McKenna got out and ran towards Forest Avenue, hopped in another car on 8th Street and was eventually arrested along with the driver of that car, 43-year-old Dina Gagen (McKenna's girlfriend), who lives in Brick.

McKenna was allegedly hiding in the backseat at the time.

A large scale search was conducted with the assistance of Lakewood Police and Georgian Court University Security while all this was going on due to the proximity of the campus to the McKenna's last known location.